1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to baits for attracting selected animals to animal traps for capture in trapping to control selected animal populations. More particularly, the invention concerns a composite bait material attractive to a selected animal which is applied to a trap actuating trigger, and which is intended to adhere thereto.
2. Description of Related Art
The need for controlling certain animal populations, for example, rodents, in areas used by humans or livestock, or in the locale of stored food, has been recognized for centuries. In the case of rats and mice, serious health issues surround the proximity of these animals and humans and livestock due to infectious agents borne by the animals and the parasites infesting them. The long history of attempts at control of selected animal populations and the many poisons and varieties of traps invented for this purpose attest to the concern felt by humans and the effort allocated to solving this problem.
Poisoning may be the most common method of animal population control, but it has several disadvantages, particularly in a household setting, although also in agricultural or commercial applications. Poisons placed for consumption by mice or rats, for example, may be consumed by other animals including household pets, causing their unintended illness or death. In a similar way, mice or rats that consume poison may, after death, be eaten by other animals or pets, again causing illness or death due to ingestion of the poisoned mouse or rat.
Use of poisons, in addition to potential harm to animals not selected for control, has the additional significant disadvantage of being hazardous to humans. Particularly, small children are at a risk as they may play with, absorb or consume poison left for mice and rats.
A third disadvantage with the use of poison is the unpleasant odor resulting after a mouse or rat, for example, has been successfully poisoned. It is most common that the poisoned mouse or rat will die in a confined location, such as within the walls of a home or in the attic space. In such situations, it is usually impractical to locate and remove the dead animal. As a result, odor associated with decay may last for many days, making living within such a home very unpleasant.
In addition to poisons a variety of mechanical traps are currently employed in animal population control. The most common for use in trapping rodents is the spring operated version which, when triggered, causes a stiff metal wire to strike and kill the mouse or rat.
A second type of trap which has become popular in the past several years is the "sticky trap", consisting of a flat tray containing a jelly like plastic material whose surface remains very tacky or sticky. With this type of trap, the mouse or rat adheres to the surface when it walks on to the trap. This trap has the disadvantage that it does not quickly kill the mouse or rat, leaving this unpleasant task to be addressed by the user and causing the animal caught in the trap to remain in that condition for the period of time until the trap is detected.
Because of the disadvantages of poisons and sticky traps, mechanical traps of the spring loaded variety are widely used. With these traps, it is necessary to bait the trigger with something that will attract the mouse or rat.
One of the difficulties encountered in such trapping is removal of the bait from the trap by an animal without actuating the trigger of the trap, thereby rendering the trap ineffectual. This "stealing" of the bait by the animal can be a significant factor lessening the success of population control efforts.
For example, cheese has been commonly thought to be a food substance attractive to rodents, and appears to be in common use for this purpose today. However, it is known that cheese, while it may initially adhere to a trigger of a trap, rapidly dries and in so doing contracts and exudes oily substances, impairing adhesion, and making stealing of the bait without actuation of the trap trigger more likely.
It has been recognized by those skilled in the art that there are much more effective food substances than cheese to attract rodents, for example grains, and other seeds and nut-fruit of a variety of plants. However, getting such substances to adhere to a trap trigger is problematic. One approach has been to use peanut butter. This adheres well initially, but is so soft that forces applied to the peanut butter by the chewing rodent, which otherwise may actuate the trigger, are not transferred thereto. As peanut butter becomes harder, it tends to transfer chewing forces better, but it also tends to contract and exude oils which can considerably lessen the adhesion of this bait substance to the trigger of a trap. Again, this may result in diminished success in trap triggering and hence less success in animal population control.
In selecting a bait for the trigger of mechanical traps, several factors are important. First, the bait must be something that will attract the mouse or rat. Next, the bait must be able to be attached securely to the trigger so that it cannot be removed without triggering the trap. Next, the bait must be rather solid so that it cannot be eaten without triggering the trap.
Substances that are known to attract mice and rats include meat and fish, some vegetables and legumes (such as alfalfa) in addition to the grains, nuts and seeds mentioned. As previously noted, many people use cheese.
The triggers on mechanical traps for rodents have various configurations depending on the manufacturer. Some have an opening to accept and contain the bait. Others have a blade shape for penetration of the bait. These configurations are generally not very successful when attaching hard baits such as grains or nuts. Also, they do not successfully retain softer baits, thus allowing the easy stealing of baits such as meats, cheese or peanut butter.
Another consideration in trapping to control a population of a selected animal is the ease of baiting the trap and convenient handling of baited trap. Frequently, in attempting to control an animal population with mechanical traps many traps must be set. It is important in such circumstances, that a reliable method of baiting the traps without being unduly difficult or time-consuming be used. Furthermore, it may be most convenient to bait all traps to be set at one time in one location, then distribute the baited traps to the various desired locations and then set them. if this latter procedure is adopted, great care must be taken not to detach the bait when moving a baited trap to its new location to be set. Bait knocked off the trigger during transport must be replaced, and this, of course, is very inconvenient.
These examples illustrate the difficulties encountered in baiting traps to attract a selected animal and also minimize the occurrence of bait stealing. In light of the forgoing, it has been recognized that the desirable attributes of mechanical animal trap bait includes easy application to the trigger, and reliable and secure retention by an adhesion to the trigger of a trap, as well as stiffness to transfer forces from bites taken and other contact by an animal to the trigger for reliable trap actuation. Also, to increase trapping success, the most attractive substances to a selected animal to be trapped theoretically should be incorporated in the bait, even though they do not of themselves offer adhesive properties or other properties useful in addressing the aforementioned problems.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a bait substance of increased effectiveness will be easy to apply to a trap trigger, strongly attract the selected animal reliably transfer forces to the trigger of a trap and also be securely retained thereby and adhere thereto, to prevent bait stealing, without loss of its animal attractant function. The present invention addresses these concerns.